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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. row — to paddle
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. dip — to sink
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. key — in music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — a coil
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. row — a line
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — of water
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com